Chapter 17
Summer
After breakfast, I pack my bag, and we leave for North Charleston.
Alex was right; it’s rundown. The track has cracks and patches throughout, so I’ll need to be careful of rolling my ankle today.
Holly and Jaxon are sitting in the stands with her mom already, so Zander and I join them. “Morning, everybody.”
“Hey girl. Guess what? There’s a scout from Clemson coming today,” Holly enthusiastically tells me.
“That’s great. Are you interested in going there?”
“It’s not my first choice, but it’s on the list. They have a decent track program, and I’d get in-state tuition.”
“I’ll run my heart out for you today then,” I smile. “What about you, Jaxon? Interested in Clemson?”
“Yeah. Clemson would work. I’m hoping Holls and I can get scholarships to the same college.”
“Aww, that’s sweet, guys.”
“Sunshine,” I hear being yelled. I look to my right and see Seb, E, and Alex walking our way. I stand up, knowing Seb will demand a hug. He picks me up in his arms, then turns and sets me down in front of E.
“Morning, Summer,” E says as he pulls me into a hug.
I greet Alex, then notice Bay and Nick walking up to the stands. After hugging Bay and saying hello to Nick, I retake my seat beside Holly. “So, how does this place work?” I ask Holly.
“They don’t have any facilities here other than the canopy for the officials and first aid, so we hang out in the stands until the coach needs us.”
I nod and turn to people to watch until we get called down.
Ten minutes before the meet starts, Coach waves for us to join her.
“Okay athletes. Here is the schedule for today,” she says, handing out sheets of paper.
“Distance runners at noon today. Individual runs this morning, starting with the 100m, with relays in the afternoon. I’ll be hanging out in the middle of the track.
Please check in with me 10 minutes before your race. Any questions?”
No one asks anything, so Holly and the twins move off to the side to warm up. I sit with Jaxon on the bottom row of seats to be near Holly. A woman dressed in Clemson gear is making the rounds, greeting the coaches. “That must be the scout,” I say to Jaxon.
“That’s her,” he agrees. “I hope Holly has a good race day today.”
“How does it work, with her being a junior?”
“Since we can apply for colleges next fall, they can offer conditional scholarships to athletes. If they perform as expected in senior year and don’t get injured, then they get the scholarship.
If they get injured or perform poorly, they revoke the offer and give it to someone else.
Some universities offer nothing until senior year.
It depends on the school and the talent. ”
“Wow, okay.”
“I expect Holly will get a conditional offer before the season is over.”
“Amazing. What about you?”
“Distance runners rarely get offered anything until senior year.”
The twins take positions for the first race, so I stand up to cheer for them. I can hear the guys behind me doing the same. Twin one and two come in first and second as they have all season.
Holly is up next. As usual, she doesn’t look nervous but determined.
We continue to cheer, but this time her mom drowns us all out.
I’ve discovered her mom has quite a set of lungs on her.
As the race starts, Holly is keeping time with the other runners, but after the first 100m she turns it up a notch and flies by everyone else and wins her race easily.
Coach calls her over and introduces her to the Clemson scout.
I’m so happy for her. I’ve got a half hour before my first race, so I move to the side of the track to stretch.
Jaxon follows me, and I notice Nick standing on the opposite side of the track.
He has been on high alert since the kidnapping, even though the threat is gone, but I don’t mind. I feel safer when he’s on guard.
I start a light jog when there’s 10 minutes left before the race. Holly is still talking to the scout, but the coach joins me, so I run in place. “Did you keep up with your running this week?”
“I did. Two hours Wednesday and Thursday.”
“Excellent. Let’s try to win one of your races today. I think you can take the 800m. You’ve come in second in the last two meets. Conserve some energy during this race.”
“Will do, Coach,” I nod as I continue my jog around the inside of the track.
Once the boys 200m is complete, I take my place in lane 3.
I can hear Holly and Seb cheering above the surrounding din, and it paints a smile on my face.
I’m incredibly lucky to have these people in my life.
Like a bolt from the blue, I suddenly realize I would endure the kidnapping again to have them with me.
It’s astonishing, truly; a few months have spun my world on its axis.
I realize I’ve zoned out, and the announcer is asking us to get ready.
Looking around, I see the other runners waiting for me.
I mouth a ‘sorry’ and prepare. As the gun goes off, I take off, full of boundless energy.
I don’t feel any strain in my muscles or breath.
I feel alive, the chains of my kidnapping breaking apart.
It’s wondrous. As I reach the last straightaway, I’m not even watching the other runners.
When I cross the finish line, I hear my guys shouting as Holly and the coach come jogging over to me.
“You won. You were flying. Oh my gosh, Summer!” Holly says excitedly.
“Amazing Summer. Did you leave any gas in the tank for your next race?” Coach asks.
“Yeah. I’m barely winded, Coach. I feel great,” I say.
“Okay. Go rest up. You’ve only got half an hour,” Coach replies.
I nod and walk over to the stands. Seb comes down to sit with me and Holly, offering us protein bars and my water bottle. “Sunshine, that was awesome. Your first solo win this season. I’m so proud of you,” he says, giving me a side hug.
“Thanks, Hurry,” I give him a brilliant smile before turning to look up into the stands. I wave to Zander and the guys, then eat my protein bar. “So what did the scout say, Holly?”
“Oh, she’s interested in me. She’s going to watch the relay and come back for the championships in a few weeks. If I do well, she thinks I’ll get a conditional scholarship offer.”
“Wow. Congrats. That’s so great.”
“It is,” she replies, bursting with excitement. “There will be more scouts at the last meet, though, so I’m hoping for offers from more than one college.”
“I don’t doubt you’ll get them.” Holly is a natural runner with her effortless stride and astounding ability to burst ahead at the end of the race. I take a few more sips of water, then hand the bottle back to Seb.
We sit for another 10 minutes, then I get up to stretch again as Seb rejoins the guys. Holly keeps me company in the center of the track until I start my jog, then I join Jaxon, who’s warming up along the oval. “Hey there.”
“Hi. Great race. Going three for three today?” He asks.
“We’ll see. I think I can do it. Are you all set?”
“Yup, ready to go. Good luck,” he offers as I’m called to the starting line.
Coach is waiting for me as usual. “Still feeling good?”
“Yeah. I’m going to go for it, Coach.”
She nods at me. “Good luck and pace yourself.”
“I will.” I take my place in lane four. When the gun goes off, I stop myself from shooting off like a rocket and start at a quick but steady pace around the track.
I hear my family cheering for me as I complete the first lap.
I steadily increase my pace until I go full out in the final 200m.
My rival is just a step behind me as we start the final 100m.
I wait until the last 20m, then push myself for a hard finish.
I outpace her and win my first 800m. Zander and the guys are standing and hollering as Holly and the coach jog over.
They both congratulate me on my win. Holly and I join our families in the stands to wait for Jaxon to begin his run.
I get hugs from everyone, including Alex this time, as Nick sits beside me and squeezes my knee gently.
I drink my water as Holly tells everyone about the scout. E offers us protein salads to munch on as we watch the boys’ 800m race. “Oh shoot. We didn’t harvest from the garden for the salads today, E,” I remember.
“We got busy. It’s not a big deal,” he smiles. We don’t have time to go out to lunch today, so E packed sandwiches for everybody else.
The distance runners walk onto the track, so I cover my salad and stand up with Holly. We clap for Jaxon as he takes his spot. After the race starts, we retake our seats and finish eating. We have an hour before the relay. “Can someone drive to a store?” I ask.
Zander offers to drive, so Holly and I follow him to the parking lot. I’m not fond of washrooms at track events yet, so someone drives me to a store, restaurant, or gas station to take care of business, and Holly joins me each time.
We are back quickly and take our seats in the stands. The guys are talking about what they want to do tonight and tomorrow. It sounds as though they are leaning towards a beach day tomorrow. That could be fun.
“We should warm up,” Holly says. We join the twins in the center of the track, where I get a nod in greeting from both girls.
I don’t think we’ll ever be friends, but they’re not unpleasant anymore.
I’m unsure if it’s because of the no bullying policy, the kidnapping, or us cheering for them, but I’ll take it.
Coach calls us over and gives us a pep talk, and then we take up our positions.
I notice Nick standing on the far side of the track again and give him a little smile.
The gun goes off, and I turn to watch the twins run.
I start my run as twin two gets close, then take off.
I feel a bit tired, but I push hard to keep pace with the leader.
As usual, Holly easily overtakes everyone in the last 100m, for us to win the race.